Damn it! Another improvement.

I have Comcast Internet. I don't like Comcast. But I don't like any of the other monopolies any better. And they all do something that drives me mad: make improvements. It seems that every time my system is updated or improved it becomes harder to use. Actually I'm not even sure who does all of the improvements. Is it Comcast or some mysterious and intrusive manager of computers? When I first got this system, e-mail was a breeze. You pushed a button, your e-mails popped up, you read them and never gave it another thought. But recently they made yet another improvement. Now my e-mail appears slowly on a far more complex grid. For some bizarre reason a legend asks me if I wish to see the entire box. Why wouldn't I? That's an extra step. Each mail takes longer to appear, longer to disappear. The address book is more of a pain. It's complicated and badly written. And where once setting up a group e-mail took moments, now I can't figure out how to do it all. I think most things get worse with improvement. Not just computer applications, but products. Irons and toasters were much better thirty years ago and far less expensive. I admit I'm a bit of a luddite, but I can appreciate when something is wonderfully simple or needlessly complicated. For instance while I write this post I am looking at the listing above the writing area. There are six categories, none of which I have ever needed. But one says "Monetize." I wonder what that does and just how necessary it is.